Piano World Home Page Forums Our Most Popular Forums Adult Beginners Forum Alfred's Basic and ALL in One Adult Piano Course Book #3

Hurray! I've arrived in Alfred 3. The Canon in D was probably the best piece so far in the Alfred series but "A Super-Special Sorta Song" is a real low point in my opinion. Luckily it's not very difficult. However, it really tires my right lower arm. I haven't felt this tense (RH-wise) in a long time. What's my problem/mistake?

EDIT: Is someone else also starting with the third part?

TLH, congrats on starting Book 3!

Super-Special looks like it keeps the right hand busy, but it's certainly no busier than, say, Canon in D in Book 2. So, sorry, I'm not much help there. If it hurts, stop.

For the last few months most of my piano time has not been focused on Book 3--there's just so much out there that looks good!--but I've just started buckling down again on #3. I'm working on Theme from the Unfinished Symphony and Steal Away. I use the "Just for Fun" and pieces I really don't care for for sight reading practice and spend my energy on pieces that speak to me.

Book 3 has a lot more theory and covers the remaining keys from the Circle of Fifths, so there's probably less space devoted to actual pieces than in the other books. If fact, other than playing in keys that haven't been covered in Book 2, one could probably dive into most of the pieces in the book whenever one chose.

May be it's the finger #4 or perhaps I just worked too much in the yard during the past days

I've been thinking a lot about straying from Alfred but I'm afraid of getting lost in the multitude of options. So my plan is to get a good start into Alfred#3 and then mix in other things sparingly.

Have fun with the "Unfinished". I wish that I could catch up with you but unfortunately I'm pretty slow and not brave enough to change the order of the book.

for those who have successfully completed book 3 (congratulations, I am hoping to reach that point as well), what pieces are you guys able to play (just after finishing book 3)? how did you guys further your piano education beyond the alfred adult series?

Hi, Book 3 Piano Gang! I had a real time finding this thread, so thanks for the reference in the Alfred Adult Book 1 and 2 threads! I am a 58 year old self-teaching student and I've really enjoyed progressing at my own, albeit slow, rate.

Scheherezade, page 44-45 in the All-in-One.
So far, I've gone through all the pieces in the first two Alfred (Basic) books, and the All in One #3 thus far, and the interpretation has generally been obvious, but I'm stymied here. I'm having a bit of trouble with the bass clef slurs and ties, especially at the top of page 45, 3rd measure -- Does one play the G and E-flat together for 3 counts (dotted half in 6/8 time) and then smoothly (legato) go to the G and D for one count (eighth notes) ----- or, is the G held for 4 counts, while playing first E-flat and switching to D? So far, as I'm learning the piece, I've sounded the G twice in the measure, but I'm not sure that is correct.

I've listened to the piece (not a familiar one to me) played here and watched on Youtube, but my ear is just not able to pick that up.

How does one make the distinction when the notes are the same between the slur and tie?

I missed this post in the Alfred's Book#3 thread, so I'll take a stab at it now.

I believe the correct way to play those notes is your second method: the left-hand G is held for four counts, the Eb for three and then slide down to the B for one count.

A tie is usually indicated by having the curved line extending between the side of one notehead and another. A slur (or phrase line) is from one stem to another stem or between a stem and the top or bottom of a notehead.

A slur between two adjacent, identical notes doesn't seem that common--it's almost always a tie. At least in my experience (which isn't all that much).

I hope you guys will keep this thread alive, I'm looking forward to joining you in a couple of months!

I'm also interested in the answer to amirall's question:
For those who have successfully completed book 3, what pieces are you guys able to play (just after finishing book 3)?

I haven't finished Book 3 by any stretch, so I can't really answer (I'm hoping others will), but as I mentioned earlier, many of the pieces in #3 seem to be similar in level (i.e., less graded in level of difficulty) than Books 1 and 2. Instead, Book 3 brings in a good deal more theory and the remainder (or at least most) of the keys.

For me, it was at the end of Book 2 that I started branching out. For example, Canon in D at the end of Book 2 is great, but I started learning an arrangement the Lee Galloway arrangement of Canon in D that I liked better still. The Chopin Waltz in A Minor is another I worked on. Walking in the Air (a section of the G. Winston arrangement) is another. If you liked Etude (Chopin Op.10 no. 3) in Book 2, then the first 21 bars of the real deal are not impossible (the middle part is still way beyond reach). And so on.

Here are a few links to earlier discussions of what people were working on that you might find interesting:

Life after Alfred's Book 3

Alfred Adult Users Supplemental Pieces

Of course, none of this addresses how well one can learn/play vs. polish/perform anything.

Thank you Stubbie! Can't wait to be done with book 2. I still have some 40 pages to do but I'm definitely starting to look for music outside of it.

Hunh. I think I just discovered an error on page 137 in the Ambitious Section ("...well-known classics in their original form...).

It's Chopin Prelude Op. 28 no. 7, measure 13 with the big chord. Alfred’s has an F5 but it should be an E5, if I’m reading it correctly. Am I reading it correctly? (Alfred’s puts the F4 in the RH rather than LH, but that’s okay.)

I was reading an old thread and came across a reference to an E in the right hand in that chord and that didn't jibe with what's in the Alfred score.

Difficult chord....

Since I am now on Book #3.....might as well bump this thread

*toting cleaning supplies and tying on maid's apron*
*knocking cobwebs out of corners*

This place needs a good cleaning to get ready for sinophilia and monads!

*sweeping dust behind the door*

So how's it going Book Threeple?
Log in and report!

*HatChoo!*

Book Threeple--I like it!

As I've mentioned before, I find Book Three less 'graded' in the sense that Books 1 and 2 worked best when taken from beginning to end, adding skills as one progressed through the books. Book 3 invites a little more skipping around and/or going to the back for the "Ambitious" selections.

From the early part of the book: Fandango was fun to play, I thought. The pieces before that, not so much, imo. I look forward to hearing what you guys think.

So far I've played up to p. 74 (Shenandoah), though I have certainly not polished every piece. In the Ambitious section, I've played Prelude 28 no.7 (Chopin) and that piece I have buffed a fair amount. I like it.

Thank you malkin, I'm (hardly) resisting the temptation to open book 3... Canon in D still very shaky... one more week I guess

So... here am I at the beginning of the review part of book 3! I find these first songs easy to read and grasp - which is comforting after struggling with the last pieces in book 2.

This time I will try not to skip any song and at least sight-read and play each one of them for a little while, including the ones I dislike (Super-Special Sorta Song anyone?).

Fandango is very nice indeed. I love to learn chord progressions that can be applied to other tunes too.

Book Threeple--

Agree with Stubbie on Book 3 inviting more jumping around. I've only played up to pg. 24 "Alberti Bass". I look forward to the Ambitious Section at the end of the book but I'm not sure I totally 'feel' this Alfred Series. I supplemented the series with Alfreds Masterwork Classics and told my teacher I want to complete all Levels 3-10 even if there's overlap. We're also working on other materials and have spent the past month on Bach's Invention No.1.

I'm sure the supplemental material will facilitate progress through Book 3, somewhat jading my perspective.

But I will chime in as I progress through book 3

Looking for words of comfort, as usual...

I went through the first few songs of this book in a breeze, then I somehow managed to learn Haydn's Serenade and now I'm stuck with A Very Special Day and Classy Rag. The first one especially shouldn't so difficult, right? And it's depressing to see how hard it is for me to coordinate the two hands in Classy Rag. Thought I was getting better at this.

It sounds like the same old Alfred pedagogy. Tickle students with a few easy pieces and then slam 'em hard with a real doozie!

Hang in there sino! I'm right behind you. (Loch Lomond)

malkin, I'm learning so slowly right now that you will catch up with me in no time! I'm also trying to prepare something for the next ABF recital, but my progress is so slow it might well be next year's recital!

In order for me to catch up, you would have to take a few months off!